Great Potoo: Everything to Know About the Tree Stump Impersonator

Great potoos are difficult to spot because when they're on a tree, they easily camouflage with it and appear as part of the tree. This bird is the master of camouflage and knows how to use its abilities perfectly.

What Is a Great Potoo?

The great potoo (Nyctibius grandis) is a nocturnal bird that can reach heights of 60 cm and has a wingspan of 70 cm. It is the biggest bird in the Caprimulgiformes order, containing frogmouths and nightjars.

The great potoo, a nocturnal animal by nature, has remarkable night vision due to its large eyes occupying a large portion of its skull. Additionally, the slits in its eyelids allow it to detect movement from potential predators even when it is asleep.

However, among its most famous features is its distinctive growl, which it uses to vocalize throughout the night. These nocturnal sounds create an eerie environment in the Neotropics.

In comparison to its physique, its head is quite enormous. The beak is small yet broad, and the eyes are huge, with an iris that ranges from brown to yellow. Their tail is longer, and their wings are oval. Feathers come in burgundy, black, gray, and white hues. Except for white stripes that cross the tail laterally, the colors of the tail match those of the body.

They are isolated and shy birds. Generally, great potoos perched undetected high above the ground during their nighttime feeding or when they spot potential food. They virtually usually revert to their prior position after the pounce.

Typically, they sit erect on a tree stump during the day and are invisible because they blend in with the stump; this is a form of camouflage that involves more than simply color. These birds sit vertically on posts, roosts, or angled tree trunks; at night, you can find them by observing the light reflected from their eyes.

Primarily insectivores, great potoos are carnivores. Giant flying insects make up most of their prey, particularly large beetles, katydids, crickets, and grasshoppers. Birds and bats are occasionally consumed, too.

Where To Find Great Potoos?

Great potoos can be found in South America. They have been spotted in northwestern Guatemala, southern Mexico, much of Central America, and South America to southeastern Brazil and Bolivia.

These birds live in settings that are semi-humid to humid forests. They can be found in foothills, second-growth, open woodlands, clearings, and dense lowland forests. They are also occasionally spotted in meadows.

Big potoos are monogamous and only have one partner. They establish pairs and tenaciously guard their territories. Although the breeding season normally lasts from February to August, breeding birds can be seen practically year-round, depending on their distribution region. The brooding habit is little understood, although it takes around a month for the kids to be spotted by themselves at the nest.

The brooding habit is little understood, although it takes around a month for the kids to be spotted by themselves at the nest.

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